Then The Sun Came Shining Through
by Atlantian Magic
Summary: The Generals are back, and just like everyone else, Mina's accepting the change in her life while taking a couple of trips down 'memory lane' from the Silver Millennium. MinaKunzite. Part 3 in the Senshi Series.


And then the Sun Came Shining Through written by Atlantis © 2002  
  
Okay, here's the story that was not long in writing. It's a Mina/Kunzite fic everybody! I've continued to tie this in with the storyline that hasn't even been written yet, as I did with the previous two, seeing as how this is a little senshi series. It is different from the other two though, so don't fear repetition. Enjoy!  
  
Here little disclaimer, come here! Yes, good disclaimer. What do you say? I don't own Sailor Moon... Naoko Takeuchi does? And Timmy's fallen into the well? Wait! That last part can't be right! I'm gonna have to revamp you later. You must have bugs.  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
**************************************************************************** ***** Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge. I said to the Lord, "You are my Master! All the good things I have are from you." Psalm 16:1 & 2 **************************************************************************** *****  
  
"No!" A scream pierced the darkness, echoing throughout the nearly empty  
  
room. Mina shot up out of bed, her fingers raking through her bangs ruthlessly. Sad,  
  
cornflower blues slowly moved up and searched the room.  
  
"Just a dream Mina, just a dream," she chanted to herself. "Damn, but it was so  
  
real!" Mina cried. She thought of climbing out of bed and searching for something to  
  
comfort her, but instead wiggled deeper into the yellow down comforter and golden silk  
  
sheets. It was pointless to get up. There was nobody there. Even Artemis was gone,  
  
spending nearly all of his time with Luna... with Mina's own stupid permission. She  
  
shook her head at herself for okaying that request. It was too empty in her house.  
  
Hands clinging desperately to the top of her blanket, Mina eased her head back  
  
down to her pillows, closing her eyes to take a deep breath before opening them again.  
  
Loneliness...  
  
It reverberated through the room, never seeming to leave. It had always been  
  
there.  
  
A striking blue-eyed, blonde beauty of eighteen, Mina had what so many girls  
  
dreamed of. She was gorgeous, a model every once in a while as a result; a former movie  
  
star of her own series (Sailor V); a superhero with the powers of a planet, not to  
  
mention a princess of Venus; she traveled the world; money and prestige were her  
  
middle names; and she had a house. Good Lord, her house!  
  
It was enormous, fully furnished, sitting smack-dab in the middle of Tokyo's  
  
Posh Avenue. An immaculately manicured lawn, large shady trees perfectly trimmed,  
  
and a marble walkway that traveled all the way up to the incredible white oak double  
  
doors were just the first sight of the front of the house. When actually standing at the  
  
doors, the gold that laced over the small prismed rectangular frosted crystal windows  
  
made the place seem like a sultan's palace.  
  
Once inside, there was a short hallway that opened up into a grand foyer which  
  
gave a person three choices of destination.  
  
To the right was a huge dining room furnished with a table that could easily fit  
  
twenty people, though it usually only seated one, perhaps two. A small door in the far  
  
left corner led into the master kitchen- a true heaven for any chef... for any fifteen chefs.  
  
However, its only visitors were the single cook and the occasional drooling Lita.  
  
A side door was the exit that led from the kitchen to the side yard. There, a  
  
covered patio was constantly adorned in spring colors, cushioned white wicker chairs  
  
and charming five-legged tea tables.  
  
Back in the foyer, if one went to the left, they could find an immense living room  
  
decorated with art masterpieces such as rare Monet's, portraits of Faberge works, as  
  
well as those of Lonny Lenai. The floor was carpeted in a soft beige, furnished with  
  
white leather furniture, some black coffee tables, and ebony and jade statuettes on  
  
shortened pillars, displayed by the large windows.  
  
Reaching past that, through a glass door, there was a conservatory that housed  
  
hundreds of beautiful, bright flowering plants and plenty of green, leafy species as well.  
  
At the back of the room was another door leading to the indoor, olympic- sized  
  
swimming pool equipped with two diving boards and a separate full-sized volleyball  
  
court. Mina tended to spend most of her time there, being able to forget about life and  
  
its worries for at least a short time.  
  
Returning to the foyer, the last direction a visitor could go was straight ahead,  
  
where a grand staircase loomed like a giant as it came down from the upper floor. On  
  
each side of the stairs, on the bottom floor, there were private bathrooms where needy  
  
guests could relieve themselves. The staircase, at the top, split into two different  
  
directions: two hallways, one leading to the right and the other to the left. To the right  
  
were only guest rooms, five to be exact, and two bathrooms. To the left though, were two  
  
doors that were spaced quite a distance apart, one being at the far end and the other  
  
just a little closer than the middle of the distance. The far door led into the master  
  
bedroom, Mina's abode, which had a personal bath and a door adjoining it to the other  
  
room that it shared the hallway with, which also had a private bath. Personally, Mina  
  
never understood why she had had the house build and connect them like that.  
  
Sighing, Mina sat up, defeated. Now that she was awake, sleep would not claim  
  
her again for at least another twelve hours, though it would undoubtedly be more.  
  
Mina grumbled and slid her legs out from underneath her sheets and into the  
  
fuzzy white cat slippers by her bedside. She rubbed her eyes and picked up her small  
  
clock, blinking to focus on the time of the glowing red numbers.  
  
"2:11? What an awful hour!" she wailed. As she stood, her face scrunched up  
  
angrily and she tossed her clock, landing in the cushiony safety of her pillows. She let a  
  
sleepy smile creep over her lips as she observed the clock's red, jumbo sized numbers  
  
casting a ruddy glow on her bed. Mina stretched her arms up, pulling on her muscles to  
  
wake with the rest of her body. The barely-there white spaghetti strapped teddy inched  
  
its way upwards on her body as she stretched, the edge hardly covering her black satin  
  
underwear. As she let her arms fall to her sides, her nightgown went back down as well,  
  
though only two inches from its previous position. The slits in the sides made wearing  
  
the lingerie almost seem pointless, racing up along the seams at her sides to the same  
  
height as her belly-button before stopping.  
  
Running her hands through her hair, Mina trudged over to her door where her  
  
yellow robe hung aimlessly on the hook. She shrugged into it, delighting in the feel of it  
  
sliding against her skin before opening the door and moving down the hallway, not  
  
bothering to tie it.  
  
"Must have a snack," Mina joked with herself as she finished her long walk from  
  
her room, down the stairs, and through the dining hall to the kitchen. Half- heartedly,  
  
she pulled on the refrigerator door, thinking it would come open easily. Her eyes  
  
snapped completely open in annoyance when it didn't. Taking hold of the handle with  
  
both hands, she tugged on it harder, willing it to open. Still it didn't budge. Grinding her  
  
teeth, she kept her hold and put a foot up against one of the bottom cabinets next to the  
  
fridge, pushing with her foot now as well as she struggled to stay balanced on the other.  
  
She fell back on her butt as it flew open, its light blaring into the darkness of the  
  
kitchen. Amused, she began laughing and shaking her head.  
  
"Good gosh, Sailor Venus could've opened that with her pinky finger!" she  
  
shouted, her voice echoing against the pots, pans, and metal counters. Using the  
  
counter for support, she hauled herself up to a standing position and nearly began to  
  
cry. "I wanted to open the freezer!"  
  
Amazingly, when she went to open that, it opened easily, throwing her back yet  
  
again because she hadn't expected it. Grabbing the small chocolate chip cookie dough  
  
pint from the door, she shut the door with a wave of her hand and went to one of the  
  
drawers, fishing for a spoon. With spoon in hand, she tore off the lid of the ice cream  
  
pint and dug her spoon in, murmuring in total happiness when she shoved the full  
  
spoon into her mouth.  
  
With ice cream in hand, Mina made her way to the living room before curling up  
  
on the couch and throwing a tartan over herself to snuggle into. If someone had walked  
  
in at that very moment, they would have seen Mina, on her couch, watching the wall.  
  
Leaning forward, she snatcheda remote control from the coffee table in front of her and  
  
clicked the red button. There was a second of silence before the wall moved up, as if it  
  
was a window shade, and a full entertainment center rolled out, complete with  
  
surround sound and a big-screen TV. She flipped through the 500 channels of satellite  
  
before coming to a show that stopped her cold.  
  
It was the Mythology Channel, and they were featuring the story of the Moon  
  
Princess. The actors must be getting paid very little, Mina pondered thoughtfully,  
  
because they suck! All of the clothes looked like they had gone through seven  
  
generations of seamstresses with patches all over and bad material in horrible colors.  
  
There was a cheesy looking castle on an obviously non-moon surface, but the sight of it  
  
made her head swirl with memories.  
  
**************************************************************************** *****  
  
"Oh come on you guys, cover for me!" Serenity pleaded. "Endy wants me to meet  
  
him on Earth to take me somewhere but I'm supposed to be training today." Venus  
  
looked back on the Moon Princess, her arms crossed defiantly across her chest.  
  
"I'm not impressed Serenity. What would happen if the Queen found out?" Mina,  
  
the Senshi of Venus questioned cooly, ever the leader. "I'll tell you what would happen  
  
if you went- alone- to Earth and she found out. She would cut all ties with Earth first of  
  
all, restrict you to your training, and then put all of us on double duty for lying for you.  
  
Plus, it would be even worse if something happened to you on Earth!"  
  
"But Endymion would never let anything happen to me," Serenity complained.  
  
"I'm sure, but accidents happen. You simply can't go." Mina was about to  
  
continue when Serenity got a wicked look in her eyes.  
  
"Would the rest of you cover for me if I took some protection with me to Earth?"  
  
she asked the other three Senshi, stepping around Venus without a second glance. Raye  
  
chewed on her lip a moment before nodding and Lita gave a happy thumbs-up. Amy  
  
remained silent before answering.  
  
"I suppose I would accept it if you took along some protection Serenity, but who?  
  
Surely not one of the Palace Guards," she finally said, twirling a lock of blue hair just  
  
above her ear.  
  
"Don't worry, I have the perfect person in mind to watch over me," Serenity said,  
  
turning towards Venus.  
  
"And who would that be Sere?" Mina asked, turning to face the Moon Princess.  
  
She staggered back when Serenity smiled a sickeningly sweet smile at her before  
  
turning to the other princesses and receiving their mischievous nods of approval. Mina  
  
began shaking her head, looking around her as if to escape.  
  
"You'll do just fine, Mina," Serenity whispered with a cock of her head.  
  
"I shall never forgive you for this Serenity," Mina whispered as they landed on  
  
Earth. Serenity acted as if she had not heard, trying to regain her balance after  
  
teleporting the two of them on her still developing powers and Mina's unpracticed ones.  
  
They had transported in the middle of a lush, green meadow, surrounded on all sides by  
  
thick trees. Mina sighed and wrapped her golden cloak around her, bringing her hood  
  
up around her face. "Where to now?" she asked resignedly. Serenity clapped her hands  
  
together happily at her friend's defeat and pulled her white cloak up over and around  
  
her before walking towards the line of trees.  
  
"Now we wait," the happy young woman commented as she sat down on a  
  
smoothed stump.  
  
"Wait for what?!" Mina exploded. "Nobody would find us here!"  
  
"That's what you think," Serenity laughed before turning her head away from her  
  
friend. "Do you see that tree right there?" she asked pointing to a short sapling with tiny  
  
spines covering it instead of leaves like all the others. "Endy told me that it is the only  
  
pine in this forest and that he would meet me here because it would be easy to find. He  
  
comes here often to relax and hunt with his Generals. You are actually lucky that you  
  
came with me today. He told me that he would be bringing his friend Kunzite along  
  
with us. Now you shall not feel like a third wheel!"  
  
"You mean alone. Serenity, if this is an attempt to set me up, you will get an  
  
earful when we return to the Moon Kingdom," the Venusian threatened. She whipped  
  
around when she heard a muffled sound behind her, her hand flying to her sword. Mina  
  
would not have had a chance to attack as Serenity hurled herself at the man who  
  
stepped into the light, her arms wrapping around him tightly as he chuckled and  
  
returned the favor. When she loosened her hold on him, she stepped back and bit and  
  
he pushed the hood off of her head and laid a butterfly kiss on her forehead before  
  
turning to Mina.  
  
"Who is this gold-cloaked stranger you have brought with you, Serenity?" he  
  
asked. Serenity narrowed her eyes playfully at Endymion.  
  
"I could be asking you the same of your silent shadow," she said, tossing her gaze  
  
behind him. "Come on out General, my Senshi does not bite and neither do I."  
  
"As you wish," came the deep voice that startled Mina. Her breath caught as the  
  
perfect vision of a man stepped from the shadows, seeming to be a light to the darkness.  
  
He was tall, a bit taller than Prince Endymion and wore a grey suit lined in whites  
  
rather than the black, silver, and reds that his prince wore. His stiff, shined black boots  
  
cut off sharply just underneath his knees and Mina had the grace to blush as she  
  
noticed he filled out his clothes undeniably perfectly. "I am General Kunzite," he said  
  
with the same deep voice as he bowed to Serenity, kissing her hand.  
  
"Venus, have you no manners? Remove your hood and introduce yourself so that  
  
we can be on our way!" Serenity gently joked. Mina glared at her but finally released her  
  
hold on her sword and reached her gloved hands up to remove the hood. Endymion  
  
gasped and Kunzite took a step back.  
  
"Your guardian is your twin? I did not know that you had a sister," Endy said.  
  
Serenity giggled.  
  
"She is not my sister. She my cousin. This is Mina, Princess of Venus, the  
  
daughter of the Goddess of Love, as you Earth people call my aunt." Mina nodded her  
  
head.  
  
"Pleased to finally meet you Prince Endymion. Serenity speaks of nothing but  
  
you. General Kunzite," she said, acknowledging his presence. He remained silent.  
  
"Very well then. Now that we have all met, we can go now, can we not, Endy?"  
  
she asked, turning pleading blue eyes to her dark prince. He smiled, not answering, and  
  
pulled her after him. Mina followed behind them with Kunzite silently till they came  
  
upon two horses. Endy put Serenity into his saddle and climbed up behind her, pulling  
  
her into his lap comfortably. Mina stopped walking.  
  
"Where is my horse?"  
  
"You must ride with Kunzite, Lady Venus. We did not know you would be  
  
accompanying us today," Endymion explained. "He is an absolute gentleman, you need  
  
not fear of losing your precious virtue," he assured her. Mina swallowed the large lump  
  
in her throat before stepping in front of Kunzite and climbing into the saddle. She  
  
repressed a shiver as he mounted behind her and wrapped his arms around her to  
  
reach the reins. Kunzite nodded and Endy began leading his horse away from the area,  
  
Kunzite following his lead.  
  
"If you wish, Lady Venus, you may lean back on me," Kunzite whispered into her  
  
ear. "It takes nearly an hour to get to where we are going. You may as well be as  
  
comfortable as possible." Mina felt light-headed as his warm voice breathed into her  
  
ear, teasing her senses.  
  
"I would be comfortable if I had a horse of my own," Mina replied harshly to rid  
  
herself of the feelings through her. Kunzite did not reply, but sighed and spoke no more.  
  
Mina held up as best as she could for nearly half the way there before finally leaning  
  
back into Kunzite's chest, allowing his arms to tighten around her the slightest. It was  
  
strange that she had forced herself to suffer through half of the journey when she could  
  
have merely leaned back against him. He was warm and comfortable.  
  
'Comfortable?' she asked herself. 'I'm certain a lady has never told him *that*  
  
before. Perhaps unbelievably handsome or well-built, but never...' her thoughts  
  
wandered off. She also noticed that when she relaxed that he had as well, as if he had  
  
been remaining stiff for her.  
  
When they arrived at a waterfall, surrounded by shining rocks, deep green moss,  
  
flowers of all kinds, and a large, clear pool, Endy came to a stop, reining in next to a  
  
large tree. Jumping down, he helped Serenity off before tying to horse to a large branch  
  
before walking off with his love. Kunzite stopped moments after and helped Mina down  
  
as she stared at everything around her.  
  
"Do... do we follow them?" she asked Kunzite timidly, watching as Serenity and  
  
Endymion disappeared from a ledge behind the waterfall. Kunzite chuckled.  
  
"I think they would be angry with us if we did." He regarded Mina closely before  
  
motioning to a large mossy rock. "Would you care to sit a spell?"  
  
"I suppose so. What do you think they are doing?" she asked as she sat down,  
  
folding her legs under her and smoothing her dress and cloak around her. She blushed  
  
when she realized what she had asked and turned her face away. Kunzite laughed softly  
  
and pulled her chin with a gentle hand so that she was looking at him. Her blush  
  
deepened.  
  
"That is Endymion's favorite spot, besides the Royal Gardens. Behind the  
  
waterfall there is a large cave that goes back behind it, filled with beautiful gems. The  
  
waterfall is not ordinary, and seems to give off its own light, so when you are in the  
  
cave, the gems all glow. It is a beautiful sight. Endy wanted to share it with your  
  
princess." He paused. "And I'm sure he wanted to share a few kisses in private as well."  
  
"It would be romantic," Mina sighed.  
  
"I agree. This whole place is like that. It surrounds you, fills you, becomes a part  
  
of you. I'm not surprised that he wanted to share it with Princess Serenity. Why are you  
  
here?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, Serenity tricked me into coming. I'm in charge of her safety as Leader of the  
  
Senshi and I didn't feel that coming to Earth alone was wise. She has done it before, but  
  
without our knowledge."  
  
"Then she got you to come with her so that she wouldn't be alone and  
  
unprotected," Kunzite said. "The Prince did the same with me." Mina laughed. She  
  
began removing her gloves and placed them in a pocket inside of her cloak, flexing her  
  
fingers.  
  
"It's humid here. My gloves are damp," she commented.  
  
"Not humid," Kunzite corrected, pulling off his as well and shoving them into his  
  
jacket pocket. "It is the spray from the waterfall." Mina nodded in understanding before  
  
clasping her hands behind her neck, under her hair, and pulling her hair from under  
  
the cloak. She watched Kunzite's silver eyes go wide as she pulled the last of her out and  
  
it pooled around her in a shining mound of gold.  
  
"Beautiful," he murmured. He began to reach out for it but looked to Mina for  
  
permission. Shy smiled shyly and nodded. His touch was gentle, palm carressing the  
  
back of her head before gliding down over her shoulders and back, his fingers trailing  
  
through the locks. Her eyes shut of their own will as she reveled in the sensations, her  
  
body tingling as he ran his hand over her hair again. She moaned and let her head drop  
  
forward as he moved behind her and massaged her neck, working out the muscles that  
  
had been tight for a while.  
  
His fingers danced over the top of her shoulders and down her back, then moved  
  
back up to her neck, kneading the skin and adding pressure to the right spots. As he  
  
stopped, she groggily raised her head to look at him gratefully. He smiled at her and  
  
stood, unbuttoning his collar and pushing his hands into his pockets.  
  
"That felt so good," she complimented him. "Thank you." She stood as well,  
  
letting her hair sway behind her near her knees. "So incredibly good," she whispered to  
  
herself. 'How did he make me feel this way? No one else has ever affected me like that,'  
  
she wondered. Deep down inside, she felt a voice that was hers, but unfamiliar, that  
  
whispered, "Find out. You know how." Then, as if she was no longer in control of her  
  
body, she began to move forward, not stopping herself.  
  
Kunzite turned to her and smiled. Mina stopped momentarily, trying to reason  
  
out what she was doing before she stepped in close, put her hands on the sides of his  
  
face and brought his lips down to hers. He was startled, and to say the least, so was she,  
  
but she couldn't move away. He was so warm, so inviting.  
  
Her lips began to move against his methodically, almost as though she was  
  
massaging his lips. Her fingers traced his jaw line before moving around behind his  
  
neck, burying into his silver hair that fell several inches below his shoulders. Slowly,  
  
unsure, he wrapped his arms around her waist, one hand resting in the small of her  
  
back while the traveled up and rested between her shoulders, bringing her closer to  
  
him. Mina smiled when he began kissing her back, gently first, still not sure, then  
  
harder, with more desire.  
  
He was confused when she pulled away a little, but began kissing her again as  
  
she teased him, licking her lips so that the tip of her tongue brushed the seam of his  
  
own. She readily parted her mouth under his pressure, moaning as his tongue swept  
  
inside of her mouth, dancing wildly with her own. One of her hands crept down from  
  
his neck, tugging at his open collar, wishing to be closer. He angled her head and tipped  
  
her back over his arm, intensifying his kisses. Kunzite growled low in his throat when  
  
she sucked on his lower lip and became elusive from his searching tongue.  
  
Kunzite's grip on her waist tightened, his thumb brushing liquid fire over her  
  
skin through her dress and cloak. He could feel every full curve of her body against his  
  
own, gloried in the feeling of her lips against his, mutually ravishing each other. His  
  
attention went back to her lips as he searched out the touch of her tongue again, finding  
  
it and doubling the passion in his kiss until she moaned throatily. Easing the caresses  
  
of his lips, he placed butterfly kisses all over her face, pulling gently then nibbling on  
  
her lower lip before pulling away and moving down to her exposed throat.  
  
Mina's body went slack, letting herself be held by Kunzite, kissed by him. She  
  
sighed as he pressed a kiss to her neck, nuzzling the soft warm skin. He pulled her to a  
  
standing position and laid his head on her shoulder, both his arms wrapping around  
  
her waist securely. His breathing steadily slowed as did Mina's and she sighed against  
  
his chest.  
  
"Lady Mina, what just happened?" Kunzite asked, his voice a husky whisper.  
  
"Kunzite, sir, after a kiss like that, you had better call me Mina," Mina joked.  
  
"I'm almost to happy to ask. What has been going on here?" a small voice  
  
questioned from their far right. Turning slowly, Kunzite and Mina spotted Serenity and  
  
Endymion, standing analytically with arms crossed. Though they knew they were  
  
flushed and were sporting swollen lips, it seemed as though Endy and Serenity were a  
  
mirror for they looked just as disheveled... and just as happy.  
  
Kunzite let one arm slip from Mina's waist as he turned towards his prince and  
  
bowed while Mina curtseyed and winked. Serenity barreled at Mina, shrieking happily  
  
and shaking her arms while Kunzite simply received a hearty pat on the back.  
  
**************************************************************************** *****  
  
Mina blinked as a commercial came blaring on, advertising some kind of dish  
  
soap that guaranteed spotless dishes. Her face twisted in annoyance and she clicked the  
  
mute button, watching the bright colors flash across the screen with blinking words.  
  
Looking down to her forgotten ice cream pint, she saw that nearly half had melted and  
  
the condensation on the outside was dripping all over her robe and tartan.  
  
After shaking the water from it, her spoon began its journey back and forth from  
  
the pint to her happy mouth. Smiling, Mina gobbled up the entire pint within five  
  
minutes, savoring the last piece of cookie dough before setting the empty pint and  
  
spoon on the coffee table in front of her. Content now and not feeling so utterly alone,  
  
Mina got up from her spot on the couch, wrapping her blanket around her shoulders  
  
and began walking back up to her room after turning off the television and returning  
  
the entertainment center to its hidden place behind the wall.  
  
As she made her way up the stairs, she couldn't help but think of the day that the  
  
Generals had come back. It had been a normal day, just like any other, until Serena and  
  
Darien had unlocked a long-since sealed door with the Silver Crystal. Through that  
  
door, they had found the Generals, chained and imprisoned, doomed to spend Eternity  
  
in bonds. But Serena's light had found them and freed them, then she had taken them  
  
all to the park where the Senshi met them.  
  
Amy had been uncharacteristically cold and aloof, refusing to speak to Zoicite,  
  
still convinced that he was not who he said he was.  
  
Raye, after speaking with Jadeite for hours past sunup, had finally accepted him  
  
on friendly terms. She had been willing to rebuild their relationship; slowly.  
  
Lita, bless her heart, had been a total mess. Her usually bold and courageous  
  
shell had melted away and she had been afraid of Nephrite, her ancient love. He had  
  
been patient though, and his patience was later rewarded with a willing and an in-love  
  
Lita.  
  
Mina had welcomed Kunzite with open arms the first time she saw him. The  
  
others had been taken aback, not thinking their leader would be so reckless. But Mina  
  
could always be reckless with him because he would be there to catch her if she fell. One  
  
look into his silver eyes had told Mina that he was not the man she had known as  
  
Malachite. He was her love, her life. Having him in her life again meant that she would  
  
never again be alone.  
  
A short week later, Mina and Serena had sat down to a serious conversation,  
  
Mina voicing everything that her heart held. Serena, for her part, had been  
  
flabbergasted. Her love for Kunzite was like the love that Serena had for Darien,  
  
unending, unyielding to the passage of time. She had told Serena about the loneliness,  
  
even when around the girls, and how it had never been filled, no matter what she looked  
  
like on the outside.  
  
Their little talk had become an all-out cry fest by the end of it, with Serena and  
  
Mina bawling in each other's arms. The looks they had gotten from the other occupants  
  
in the arcade had been priceless.  
  
Everything had been coming together for Mina's life. Just two weeks after the  
  
Generals had returned, Mina's parents had phoned from Europe. They were excited to  
  
tell Mina that they were moving to Tokyo, and that it was going to be the last place they  
  
ever lived. She was going to be reunited with her family, her friends were all living their  
  
lives happily, and she had a man whose love spanned millenniums... She truly did have  
  
it all.  
  
"Why was I even lonely earlier?" Mina wondered aloud. Then a thought struck  
  
her and she once again realized why. As she reached the top of the stairs, she sat down  
  
and leaned against the white stone banister, drawing her blanket closer around her.  
  
Mina looked at the blanket fondly, noticing for the first time how large it really was. It  
  
was fully wrapped around her and then trailed down five or six stairs, bunched up in  
  
some areas. She smelled it. It smelled like Kunzite.  
  
**************************************************************************** *****  
  
Venus looked down over the moonscape with sad eyes. She had not seen her love  
  
in nearly six months. It did not matter that Serenity had not seen Endymion for the  
  
same length of time. Mina did not care about Serenity's heart anymore because she  
  
cared about her own so much. Occasionally she received a letter from her, spanning  
  
upwards of twenty pages, but they were few and far between. Things on Earth had  
  
become hectic when a threat against the King and Queen had been made and attempts  
  
to destroy a rebellion were still under way.  
  
Mina sighed and moved away from her window, moving to sit at her vanity. It  
  
had been six months since she had been kissed by her love, held by him, heard his  
  
voice. Letters did not even fill the void anymore as they had in the beginning. She  
  
picked up the latest one, sent three weeks before and skimmed over her favorite  
  
segment.  
  
"My Goddess, I miss you more than Endymion complains about not seeing  
  
Serenity. Pardon my joking, but it is the only thing that keeps me from losing hope of  
  
seeing you soon. I treasure cloak you sent me. It keeps me warm and reminds me of you  
  
and your love for me when I am at the front lines. Sometimes when I am wearing it, I  
  
can almost see your face. I have kissed your picture so many times that it is fading,  
  
though I suppose keeping it constantly in the pocket over my heart does not help either.  
  
Mina, my girl, I cannot stop thinking of you. I miss you. Do not worry, I *will* see you  
  
again, and soon. There are a couple of things I must give you and say to you. Do not stay  
  
up late waiting for me though.  
  
The troops are holding out fine at the front lines..."  
  
Mina's eyes trailed off of the paper and teared up. She could feel his love through  
  
his words. He was just as heartbroken as she. Wiping the tears from her eyes with the  
  
palm of her hand, she smoothed out her gown and stood, moving away from her vanity  
  
as dinner was announced through the halls.  
  
Dinner was unusually quiet. Everyone seemed to be in a melancholy mood  
  
except Queen Serenity. She attempted to chat with her daughter and talk of the  
  
upcoming balls, but the younger Serenity would have none of it. When she tired of  
  
pretending, she claimed a headache and excused herself from her mother's presence to  
  
her chambers. Amy, the Mercurian princess followed soon after with the Martian Raye.  
  
When only Lita and Mina were left, the Queen left her seat to be nearer to them,  
  
surprising the two girls.  
  
"Do not be so glum," she said happily. "Things will turn out alright." This seemed  
  
to reassure Lita and she smiled at the Queen, gratefully receiving a rare hug. "You all are  
  
like my own children and I hate to see you like this."  
  
"Do not worry about us, Queen Serenity," Lita replied confidently, standing with  
  
Queen Serenity. "We are, after all, the Senshi of the Silver Millennium, and as such, can  
  
withstand anything that comes against us. If you'll excuse me, I have duties to attend  
  
to." Lita saluted in Jovan fashion before exiting the room, head higher, along with her  
  
hopes. The Queen turned to Mina.  
  
"And what about you?" she asked softly. Mina shrugged, not wanting to meet the  
  
Queen's eyes and quietly excused herself. Walking down the halls, she thought she  
  
heard a scream from the other end of the palace, but it was cut off so short that she  
  
assumed someone had merely surprised someone else by walking into each other at a  
  
corner.  
  
When she arrived at her door, she vaguely noticed the palace lights already  
  
flickering in the night before opening her door and clicking it shut as she closed it  
  
behind her. As she opened her eyes slowly, forcing the tears back, she noticed  
  
something laying on her bed, lighted by the earthlight filtering through her window.  
  
Moving forward cautiously, she picked it up and realized that it was a bright red ribbon.  
  
She ran her fingers over it, marveling at it when a shadow moved behind her.  
  
Mina turned, prepared to attack when Kunzite stepped out of the shadows.  
  
Killing the scream in her throat, she threw herself at him, her ribbon following her hand  
  
as it flew around his neck. Her tears fell onto his neck freely as she sobbed, her body  
  
shaking from joy. Kunzite's arms encircled her gently, enjoying the feel of her in his  
  
arms again. After a few moments, Mina's crying subsided and she stepped back, looking  
  
up at him with a tear-stained face.  
  
His hands reached up and cupped her face, brushing away the remaining tears  
  
with his thumbs. He smiled at her and received a shaky smile in return.  
  
"How? Kunzite, I..." she was silenced as her love put two fingers to her lips.  
  
"Mina, does it really matter how I got here?" She shook her head. "I've missed  
  
you so. Endy couldn't stand being away from Serenity any longer and brought all of us  
  
up here to visit. We are not supposed to be here, but none of us could stand being  
  
separated for any more length of time from you. Did I surprise you?" he asked, leaning  
  
his forehead down to hers. Her eyes glistened with tears as she nodded slowly, giggling.  
  
"What's so fun..." Kunzite started before Mina pulled his lips to hers. He had to strain  
  
from laughing before returning her affection.  
  
Hands moving over her back, Kunzite drew her close, inhaling the soft scent of  
  
peaches in her hair. Her lips moved over his more desperately and he felt his eyebrows  
  
raise before he pushed back against her lips, nudging them to open to him. Mina let out  
  
a purr of pleasure as she allowed Kunzite access, feeling his tongue sweep across her  
  
own.  
  
They moved closer to the bed, Mina falling backwards onto the fluffy comforter  
  
as her knees hit the edge, her lips leaving Kunzite's roughly. She stared breathlessly up  
  
at him before pulling Kunzite down after her. Her hands gripped his open collar tightly  
  
as he moved over the top of her before moving behind his neck and burying themselves  
  
in his hair. His own hands were busy as well, one rubbing over her bare shoulder while  
  
the other brushed liquid fire along her waist and hips, barely carressing the skin of her  
  
breast before moving away from the tender flesh.  
  
"Kunzite," Mina purred as he rubbed her leg. His lips left hers, moving to nibble  
  
on her ear as she continued to make contented sounds. As her back arched underneath  
  
him, he slowly pulled away and looked at her. This wasn't right. Kissing her nose gently  
  
and rolling off of her, he sat on the edge of the bed and waited for her to look at him.  
  
When Mina noticed Kunzite's comfortable weight move off of her, she opened  
  
her eyes slightly, wanting so much to be feeling his touch. As the site of him sitting up  
  
and staring at her registered, she sat up, and slipped off the bed, moving away from him  
  
with her back turned. Kunzite donned a puzzled look before his eyes went wide.  
  
"Mina, I don't think you..."  
  
"Kunzite, it's alright if you don't want me. If your love for me changed over all  
  
this time, I won't be angry," Mina whispered at him, a shake in her voice. Kunzite shook  
  
his head in disbelief. She thought he was rejecting her!  
  
"Mina, now listen, that's not how it is. I love you with everything in me, but this  
  
isn't right. I can't love you like this yet. Only when we're married can I show you the  
  
secrets that I hold within me. And that will be as soon as we can arrange it," he told her  
  
softly. Mina turned stunned eyes to him, her hands flying to her mouth.  
  
"Is-is that... did you just... p... p... pr..." she couldn't finish, not believing. Kunzite  
  
kneeled in front of her and pulled her left hand down, slipping a ring on it.  
  
"That, my dear, was most certainly a proposal," he chuckled as her eyes grew  
  
impossibly wide. Standing, he embraced her she wrapped her arms around his waist,  
  
trying to breathe. "I love you." He led her over back near the door and picked up the red  
  
ribbon. "May I?" he asked her. She looked at him happily, tears nearing her eyes as he  
  
walked behind her, gathered up half of her hair without so much as a tug and wrapped  
  
the wribbon around it, tying a big bow. Mina's hand absently traveled to the bow and  
  
stroked it with her eyes focused elsewhere. Kunzite went back around to stand in front  
  
of her and clucked her chin gently to gain her attention.  
  
"Thank you so much," Mina sighed as she moved into her love's open arms. "I'll  
  
never stop loving you. Wait and see."  
  
**************************************************************************** *****  
  
Tears streamed down Mina's cheeks and fell onto the tartan, soaking it in some  
  
places as she wiped them away. She bit her lips softly and reached out to take a hold of  
  
the banister to stand, her eyes going over the empty house before she turned and went  
  
up the last few stairs to the second floor.  
  
"Oh Kunzite," Mina murmured as she turned the corner and headed down the  
  
hallway to her room. Eight steps towards her room though, she heard a sound and  
  
stopped, turning hesitantly. When a click resounded through the house, Mina squealed  
  
and ran back to the stairs, looking down. A shadowed figure was dropping a bag near  
  
the door and beginning to take off a jacket. He glanced up and Mina dropped the  
  
blanket and bolted down the stairs.  
  
"Kunzite!" she screamed, launching herself into his unsuspecting arms,  
  
wrapping her legs around his waist and knocking him back to the door. Her hands  
  
found his face and she placed kisses all over his cheeks, eyes, nose, forehead, and lips.  
  
Strong arms wrapped around her waist and she stopped when she heard his deep  
  
chuckle.  
  
"I didn't expect you to be up," he commented dryly. She smiled.  
  
"I couldn't sleep," she offered as an excuse. "What, you object to me waiting up  
  
for my fiancé? That hurts Kunzite." Mina's legs let go of his waist and she stepped back,  
  
folding her arms playfully. She smiled ruthlessly as his eyes took in the sight of her  
  
skimpy nightgown and untied robe. He gulped.  
  
"Mina, knock it off. You know I had a business meeting in Okinawa before I  
  
could come home. Did you have a lonely attack again?" He eyed her suspiciously. She  
  
gulped. "Mina, if you don't do anything else, get your friggin' cat back here. I can't be  
  
here seven out of seven days in the week, though I'd love to. I have to work sweetheart,  
  
just like you. I'm gone for twelve hours and you fall apart. And with the wedding coming  
  
up in two months..." he trailed off as she hugged him again, silencing him.  
  
"I know, I know, don't give me a lecture. I'm just not used to sharing you yet.  
  
You've only been back in my life for six months. And you can't blame me for looking  
  
forward to the wedding. I'm anxious for you to show me those secrets of married life  
  
still, since you refuse now," Mina replied silkily. Kunzite laughed.  
  
"That's usually the groom's line, not the bride's. You know why I refuse, and you  
  
have mutual feelings about it so don't pretend that I'm holding out on you. You're just a  
  
tease," he said, kissing her nose.  
  
"But you love me," she told him.  
  
"Of course I do. But I do wish you would wear more clothes when you're  
  
sleeping. You might as well walk around naked," Kunzite said, trying to make a point.  
  
"If that's what you'd prefer."  
  
"MINA!" Kunzite roared, blushing furiously. She hugged him.  
  
"I'm just kidding. Come on, we'll get you unpacked and you can go to your room  
  
and I can go to mine. As long as I know you're here, I'll sleep better!" Mina chirped.  
  
Kunzite sighed.  
  
"I would love to. But first I have to take my jacket the rest of the way off, Mina,"  
  
he whispered, laughing at her. She quirked an eyebrow and stepped back, finally  
  
noticing that one side of him was free of the jacket while it still hung off the other side,  
  
his arm still in the sleeve. "You didn't even give me a chance to finish taking it off."  
  
"Oh," Mina said, biting her lip and shrugging sheepishly. "Umm, oops?"  
  
*** End. Comments and critiques are ALWAYS appreciated. A note to anyone who has emailed me concerning my stories: If I have *not* written you back, I have not received it and you may want to try and send again. I have also gotten quite a few blank emails with large attachments, meaning the email is infected with a virus. I worry about computers, so check over your stuff just in case. Wouldn't want your computer to get sick now!  
  
Atlantis *^_^*  
  
godscartungrrl@netscape.net 


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